PAUL KIERNAN

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Orange County incumbents win primaries

By PAUL KIERNAN | August 19

May 18 - The Orange County primaries for the 2006 elections have come and gone, revealing the final list of candidates who will run for office in November, as well as those who will face no challengers. In the N.C. General Assembly, two of Orange County's five incumbent legislators - Democratic Reps. Verla Insko and Bill Faison - will be the only candidates on the ballot for their respective positions. Meanwhile, state House Majority Leader Joe Hackney, D-Orange, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, and U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., will campaign to retain their legislative seats.

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Invisibility cloak studies yield magical possibilities

By PAUL KIERNAN | August 19

June 1 - What would you do if you could make yourself invisible? "I would play so many tricks on my friends," said Jyoti Vasnani, a senior psychology major from Greenville. "It would probably be like another Dennis the Menace," said sophomore Curtis Dunn, a biology major from Sanford. "Well, I don't turn 21 until November," said Lindsay Walker, a junior biology and psychology double major from Summerfield. "I'd sneak into bars. "And the Honor Code could kiss its ass goodbye."

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Bare bottoms cause big uproar

By PAUL KIERNAN | July 13

N.C. State University administrators and students have reached an agreement on how to deal with a case involving the school's Student Media organization that the students are calling censorship. Provost Larry Nielson ordered fliers produced by Student Media, a school-funded group, to be removed from student orientation packets last week because they included a photo he deemed inappropriate, said Tyler Dukes, editor in chief of the Technician, N.C. State's campus newspaper.

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Research budget hike likely

By PAUL KIERNAN | June 22

The National Science Foundation, one of the principal contributors of federal funding to university-level research programs, is in a good position to receive a hefty budget increase next year. And UNC stands a good chance of getting a piece of the pie. The U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved its 2007 fiscal year Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations budget Tuesday. If the bill becomes law, it will fully fund the foundation's request of a 7.9 percent budget increase to $6 billion, up $439 million from 2006.

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NCCU student takes helm of ASG

By PAUL KIERNAN | June 15

Derek Pantiel spends his days in summer school, studying for the MCAT and doing research in science labs. Now, he's going to be a lot busier. Pantiel, a senior biology and pre-med major at N.C. Central University, was sworn in Friday as president of the UNC-system Association of Student Governments. The ASG presides over the student governments of the system's 16 schools and receives $1 from each fees-paying student.

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Money? It's a gas

By PAUL KIERNAN | May 25

Memorial Day weekend, the last long weekend before schools are out and the symbolic beginning of the summer travel season, is but one day away. Nearly 38 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, mostly by motor vehicle, according to a AAA Carolinas press release. And for the second year in a row, motorists will be paying more at the gas pump than on any previous Memorial Day - 70 cents more per gallon of gas in North Carolina, to be exact. That's $2.78 for a gallon of regular, unleaded fuel.

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Primaries result in mix of political contests and single-name ballots

By PAUL KIERNAN | May 18

The Orange County primaries for the 2006 elections have come and gone, revealing the final list of candidates who will run for office in November, as well as those who will face no challengers. In the N.C. General Assembly, two of Orange County's five incumbent legislators - Democratic Reps. Verla Insko and Bill Faison - will be the only candidates on the ballot for their respective positions. Meanwhile, state House Majority Leader Joe Hackney, D-Orange, Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, and U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., will campaign to retain their legislative seats.

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County reps snag high effectiveness rankings

By PAUL KIERNAN | April 27

All three Orange County representatives in the N.C. House are more politically effective than most of their peers, according to a biennial survey by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research, released last week. House Majority Leader Joe Hackney received the highest ranking at No. 3, followed by Rep. Verla Insko at No. 36 and Rep. Bill Faison at No. 59. All are Democrats. The survey's purpose, according to a press release from the center, is to identify the most effective legislators in the General Assembly, though some representatives have questioned its fairness.

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U.S. Soccer set for Cary match

By PAUL KIERNAN | February 28

Cary's SAS Soccer Park will host an exhibition match between the U.S. Men's National Team and Jamaica this April. The game, scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 11, will be the Americans' final test against international competition before leaving for Germany at the end of May to play in the World Cup. Cary officials along with Triangle Professional Soccer, the company that owns the town's future United Soccer Leagues team unveiled the news last week.

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U.S. Soccer set for Cary match

By PAUL KIERNAN | February 27